Wonderful News!!!!!!!!

We've got a little excitement to share!!! Claire is going to be a big sister! Which means we'll be Uncle, Aunt and Cousin again!!! Whoo Hoo! Congrats, guys! Love you!

(PS - that photo is from Jaimie and Tony's blog accompanying their announcement! :) )

Got another funny for ya...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_aHkrjPo7A

This may be the funniest thing I have ever heard. Every so often I would hear this on the radio going to work in Indy on the Bob and Tom show. Now mind you, you had to use a bit of discretion when listening to them as they are funny, yet crude and/or crass at times. This however, may be one of their best bits on the air ever. So for your listening enjoyment, I give you "Toast".

Enjoying the last of Summer before Fall

I know I am posting 2 days after the first official day of Fall (YEA! By the way!!!), but these were taken last Thursday when we had a fine trip to the park. We're trying to get as many of those trips in before it gets too cold to do so! Elena loves the "swide" and teeter-totter. She was thrilled to find a little boy just her size to share in the fun, but sadly he wanted nothing to do with her. As it turns out he has an older sister who terrorizes him at home so he doesn't like other children, especially little girls, in his personal space. Elena did try her hardest to convince him that she was a great person to play with ("Is ok, honey! S'all wight. Don't cwy, s'ok baby. You fine"), but it just didn't work out. Oh well. We still had fun.

Got a pretty cool email...

My sister Sally and her family are dealing with a house situation that I would never want anyone to deal with, nor ever want to live through myself. Having flood after flood come in and destroy what you thought to be a good home, and having several outlying circumstances keeping things at bay would be at the very least devastating (although maddening comes to my mind). I see them putting a continued faith in God that all things will work together and doing their best to set an example of praise and humility.

A friend of theirs sent them an email to encourage them about houses...the one they personally built from the ground up and found afterward all the flaws and disappointments that they hadn't or couldn't see until completion, and then the one that was built over a huge span of time by many different builders in many different ways they never would have done, but how it was perfect for them. There was a neat bible verse that went with it at the end that I want to share:

"Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it" (Psalm 127:1)

It made me think of all the "houses" we build, even on a daily basis and how when we try to do it without the Lord, our work really is for not. How fruitless and ineffective we really are in our efforts to do things "my way". It literally hit home for me (yes, pun intended), and so I pass it along. My hope is that it will cause others to stop and think about what in life is being built today, where is the foundation, and whom is the contractor? Blessings!

Speaks for itself...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgCwpRYnlWA&feature=related

and after that...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdilScQRoYQ

Encouragement for Today

Ever feel like you are under attack for no reason? Ever been treated so poorly that you could not grasp any reasoning behind it? Ever experienced wrong doing and felt completely helpless because it seemed hopeless to make it right?

I post these verses for Encouragement for Today...May the God of Peace be with you all.

Genesis 50:20, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." (NIV)

Romans 12:19 "Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord." (NIV)

1 Peter 2:12 "Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us."(NIV)

1 Peter 3:9 "Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing." (NIV)

Philippians 4:7 "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (NIV)

It's Wednesday Night, Conditions are Perfect

Anyone who knows me (and my family) knows that I have a sense of humor that sometimes well, can be weird, goofy, etc...but I figure it's good to enjoy life and laugh often, even if no one thinks it's as funny as you and ends up laughing at you instead. Got ya to laugh somehow, didn't I? That's what counts! So I am posting a Youtube video I hope you'll enjoy it as much as me. This was sent by one of my sisters...I won't say which one...and since then, every so often we send it around on a Wednesday. By the way, you HAVE to pay attention to the guy's facial expressions, too...HAHAHA!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGOohBytKTU

The Wall of George

Elena loves to color and loves Curious George. She asked if we could put some of her work up for display...OF COURSE!!!! So here's the Wall of Fame, or rather the closet doors in the kitchen of fame...and then the result of all her hard work. "I'm really quite tired..."

Workin', workin', workin'...

Renovations continue, with the most recent being the replacement of our front and back doors. Last year we had snow coming through the back sliding doors, so yeah, probably due for that...here's some shots of Bob Villa, I mean, Eric taking the old doors in the back out, and putting the new one in. It's a little unnerving to have a hole in the back of your house with rain on the way. But Eric finished it with swift preciseness. Go, Baby! :)

Awwwwwwwwwwwwww....Love you, Mares

By the way, we gave the boys a really hard time about the fact that they MATCHED that day...except the shoes. We think they called each other to coordinate...HAHAHAHA!

I think I can, I think I can...

Elena enjoyed being pulled around in the wagon by the boys, but I think she liked thinking she was big and strong, too and could do the same for them..."Anything you can dooooo, I can do better...I can do most anything better than youuuu...No, you can't! Yes, I can, YES I CAN!!!!!!!!" (That's an Ode to "Annie Get your Gun" for those that like musicals).

Goofing Around...

The boys playing around, Grandpa putting a hat on Bear, and

Mares sitting on Bobby...

More Birthday Pics

Happy Birthday, Emily and Judy!

Our niece, Emily, was born on Labor day 6 years ago, and shares it with her Grandma Judy (Heather's Mom). So Heather and Mike had a big cook out at the "House on the Hill" and Heather's grandparents and parents, Mares and Bob, Heather's brother, his wife and kids and us all came for food and fellowship (another favorite Mares word ;) ). So here's a bunch from that day before we left for home. I will have to post these in a couple groupings. Enjoy!

More pictures...MMMMM Monicals...

So we live in Chicago, the homeland of all that is pizza, but I LOVE Monicals Pizza, and we don't have any close to us. So of course going there when visiting Danville is a must! Here's some shots of lunch after church...Brett and Elena were having "horse races" on Mares' and Bob's laps...wonder who won?!?!

Going to Church...and REJOICING!

Pastor talked about rejoicing on Sunday, and it's fun when that happens because that's one of Mare's favorite words so of course she gets tickled in church. I don't think I have ever been to a service with them where I didn't hear an "amen" from Bob, and Mare's giggling about something. They always are rejoicing! :) So I have some shots of the kids after church...Emily (Elena calls her Enimee, too funny!), Brett and Elena outside the Sunday school room and then out in the parking lot...I tried so hard to get them walking, because they were too cute all holding hands together...

More Balloons and out at Gramama's and Grampapa's watching...

more shots ...we're out in the back yard watching balloons...then when we went for crab legs (except me! ;) ) at the China Buffet, I got a picture of them coming over the parking lot.

Happy Labor Day Weekend

We went to Danville for Labor Day to see Eric's parents and one of his brother's family that is there, as well as to celebrate Emily's birthday (one of our nieces). We got to watch all the boys put together an amazing swing set at the farm, there was some sort of hot air balloon race - or maybe they were all just out for a trip - good food, visiting friends at church (AND REJOICING ;) !), and then a big birthday party to cap it off. So here's pictures of all that. I will have to put these in a couple posts for room...the first is of Bob, Mike, and Heather's Dad and Heather - go girl! - working on the swing set, then balloons...

Supah Stah!!!!!!

Yeah, it's been a while, but sadly between my camera not working well to load photos and the fact that I've not been able to sit in one spot long has kept me from being more up on things. Why I can't sit long you may ask??!!? Hemrrhoids?!?! NO! ;) I have been under chiropractic care for - of all things - sinus problems! So here's my plug for chiropractors and especially mine and Eric's, Dr. Bennett in Libertyville. I am now able to breathe clearly, and have been without severe headache and migraines for three and a half weeks! I can not tell you the last time I was without some form of sinus pain, and have had chronic sinus infections for years (I know, I know, poor, pitiful me, right?! HA!). I was never a proponent of this sort of medicine because one, it just freaked me out, and two I was used to medication taking care of the problem. Meds no longer work for me, and with all my allergies I am incredibly limited if I should ever become severely ill. So after much urging from my sweet hubby and his wonderful mother, and then the loving encouragement from a friend in Jessica T., I went for treatment and am so glad I did. Granted, due to the immense work this doctor has to do, my sitting in one spot (as well as lifting, exercising and cleaning...ugh!!!) is limited (it won't be for long though, and I am on the mend!!!). So I celebrate by saying "thank you" to those involved in the healing process, and to get back to blogging...so here's the funny. Since I have had to be careful of what I do, we have done some pretty wacky stuff to entertain Elena. We had fun in her clothing drawers...as I sort to prepare for a fall and winter season of clothes, Elena had herself a fashion show...she put socks on her hands, sparkly sandals on her feet and twirled about saying she was "Seeyewtiful, Mommy! I show YEW! So fancy!!! (beautiful)" and then she said she was the baker when she wore her pants on her head...and then she proceeded to bring me a wooden carrot and bread piled like a cake so we could have a party. What a sweet, patient girl...